Supporting frame for false ceilings, fixtures and the like



Oct. 10, 1961 R. w. LESTER 3,003,502

SUPPORTING FRAME FOR FALSE CEILINGS, FIXTURES AND THE LIKE Filed June 20, 1958 s Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY.

Oct. 10, 1961 R. w. LESTER 3,003,602

SUPPORTING FRAME FOR FALSE CEILINGS, FIXTURES AND THE LIKE Filed June 20, 1958 S Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

ROBERT W. LESTER ATTORNEY.

Oct. 10, 1961 R. w. LESTER 3,003,602

SUPPORTING FRAME FOR FALSE CEILINGS, FIXTURES AND THE LIKE Filed June 20, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

ROBERT w. LESTER E ATTORNEY.

United States Patent Once 3,003,602 SUPPORTING FRAME FOR FALSE CEILINGS,

FIXTURES AND THE LIKE Robert W. Lester, 225-20 141st Ave., Laurelton, N;Y. Filed June 20, 1958, Ser. No. 742,391

1 Claim. (Cl. 189-36) This invention relates to a supporting frame for false ceilings, fixtures and the like.

Supporting frames of this general character may be used for both permanent and temporary installations. It

is frequently necessary to install false ceilings and like structures for limited and temporary purposes, for example, in show rooms, show windows, exhibition halls and in other installations. These temporary structures would serve limited purposes and functions and would then be dismantled in order to be superseded by like or other structures having different features and functions. By way of illustration, seasonal displays in department store show windows require ceiling installations of various characteristics. may be required for certain exhibitions and not for others.

Permanent ceiling installations are alsocontemplated Within the scope of this invention. In many show rooms, ofiices, commercial and industrial establishments, hospitals, schools and other public and governmental institutions false ceilings are permanently installed for difiused lighting purposes. In these installations, the false ceilings are suspended a spaced distance below the main ceilings and lighting fixtures are interposed between them. It becomes necessary in such cases to support not only the false ceilings but also. the lighting fixtures and other appurtenances which are used with them.

The conventional method of installation requires that hangers or other like supporting members be attached at their upper ends to the main ceiling and at their lower ends to the false ceiling. Similar hangers or supporting members would also support the light fixtures. It thus becomes necessary to permanently deface the main ceillngs and to break into them in order to reach their supporting structures. In many instances such supporting structures are relatively widely spaced and it becomes difficult to attach a sufficient number of hangers to adequately support the false ceilings. In such cases it may be necessary to bridge the ceiling framework with an auxiliary framework designed to supportthe hangers for the false ceilings.

Moreover, ceiling structures are not usually possessed of load bearing characteristics except to the extent that they also carry the floor above and are thereby adapted to support such loads as are placed upon the. floor. These ceiling structures are themselves conventionally supported on vertical load-bearing members such as the wall structure of a room. or the vertical framework of a building.

It therefore constitutes a poor form of structural engineering to hang a false ceiling or like structure from another structure, namely, a permanent ceiling, which is not of a load bearing nature. Nonetheless this method of installation is conventionally in use for want of a more satisfactory and practical substitute method of installation. Furthermore, the task of attaching suitable hangers to the structural framework of a permanent ceiling sometimes involves a major constructional operation, which is not only time-consuming but also costly.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a structural support or frame for false ceilings, fixtures and likeinstallations, said structural support or frame being adapted to be mounted on vertical load-bearing structures such as the wall structure of a room or the vertical framework of a building. The present invention does not require and does not utilize structural connections between the supporting frame herein claimed and a hori- 3,003,602 Patented Oct. I0, 1961 zontal framework such as the supporting frame of a conventional permanent ceiling. In short, the structural support herein claimed is designed and intended to be supported solely on available load-bearing vertically ex- 5 tending structures.

Inexhibition halls, temporary ceilings The supporting structure herein claimed is well adapted for prefabrication purposes, and it may be completely made in all of its component parts at a fabricating plant preparatory to installation in the field. It is also adjustable dimensionally so as to be adaptable to such unexpected and sometimes unpredictable conditions as are occasionally encountered on the job. Moreover, this adjustable feature rendersit suitable for use in rooms and other space enclosures of various sizes and shapes.

Briefly stated, the present invention comprises the use of one or more horizontal beams or frame members which are adapted to be supported at their respective ends by means of pivoted structs which are engageable with vertical load-bearing structures. In effect, these horizontal beams cooperate with';their respective pivoted struts to constitute and functionas toggle systems. The horizontal beams or frame members may be made to the precise lengths desired orthey maybe made extensible for adjustment to varioussizes of room structures and the like. Except where additional support is required, there would be no change-in the size, shape and other characteristics of the pivoted struts and other accoutrements required to complete the installation. Details of these additional elements will shortly be given. Thus, the component elements comprising the present invention may readily be prefabricatedfor usein space enclosures of various dimensions, subject only to the extent to which the horizontal beams may be extended in length to adjust to the span requirements of the several installations. I

An important feature of this invention is the fact that the greater the load on the horizontal beams the stronger will be the connections between the pivoted struts which support such beams and the vertical load-bearing members which support the struts. This feature results from the toggle relationship between the horizontal beams and i their pivoted structs.

A further feature of this invention resides in its preloading or pro-stressing members. Screws are the preferred form of such preloading members and the preferred place for these screws is between the horizontal beams and their pivoted structs. It will be understood that these pivoted structs are situated diagonally at an acute angle relative to the horizontal beams, the upper ends of such diagonal struts being pivotally connected to the horizontal beams and their lower ends being pivotally connected to pressure plates or pads which are mounted on the vertical'supporting structures. The pre-loading screw means are connected to the'struts intermediate their pivoted ends and they are also connected to adjacent points on the horizontal beams. ,Their action is to re-' duce the angle which separatethe struts from the beams and as in all toggle systems this would have the effect of increasing the force exerted by said struts both on the beams themselves and on said pressure plates or pads. It is the latter aspect of the action which provides a strong connection between the beams and their respective struts on the one hand and the vertical-supporting structures on the other. 1 p

The inventionis illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a supporting structure made in accordance with one form of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, showing a second form of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is another perspective view showing a third form of this invention in a relatively complete installation.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

Turning'now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, it will be observed that a horizontal beam in the form of I-beam 10 is provided and mounted thereon, more precisely on the bottom flange thereof, is a slip fitting 12. It will be understood that what is shown in FIG. 1 is duplicated at the opposite end of the horizontal beam and therefore there is need to describe only what is shown. Thus, a like slip fitting is provided at the opposite end of said beam, and all of the other parts and components shown in FIG. 1.

Slip fitting 12 is intended to be slipped over each end of horizontal beam 10, and an end stop 14 is provided on said slip fitting to lock it in its end position on said beam against such force as would urge it in the direction of the opposite end of the beam. Slip fitting 12 is provided with a vertical component 131, and it will be seen that it is flanked on both sides by a pair of diagonally disposed bracing arms or struts 16. A bolt or rivet 18 pivotally attaches the upper ends of said struts to said vertical component 13 of the slip fitting.

The lower ends of struts 16 are attached by means of a bolt or rivet 20 to a bearing or pressure plate assembly 24, a spacer 22 being provided on said bolt or rivet to space said struts in accordance with their spacing at their upper ends. Actually, said bearing or pressure assembly includes a vertical plate 24a which is adapted to be disposed against a vertical supporting structure, a horizontal plate 24b which serves a purpose shortly to be described, and a pair of vertical webs or gussets 34. Bolt or rivet 20 is attached to said vertical webs or gussets, and it is by this means that the lower ends of struts 16 are pivotally attached to the pressure or bearing plate assembly 24.

To attach vertical plate 24a to a suitable vertical supporting member such as wall 40, any suitable attaching means may be used. For example, in certain cases a cement or adhesive would be suflicient. In other cases nails or screws would suflice. However, in order to meet certain building regulations of various municipalities what is preferred is to attach said vertical plate 24a to Wall 40, or other vertical structural support, by means of rammed fasteners 43 inserted through holes 42 in said vertical plate.

It will now be understood that when a load is placed upon horizontal beam 10 it will tend to swing struts 16 in clockwise direction about pivot 20. By the same token, the corresponding struts at the opposite end of said beam would tend to swing in counter-clockwise direction about their corresponding pivot, the relative positions of said struts 16 and their counterparts at the opposite end of the beam corresponding to the relative positions of the struts shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 1, struts 16 are disposed at an acute angle to the horizontal beam 10, and the efiect of such clockwise movement of said struts would be to narrow the angle which separates them from said beam. This would also be true of the corresponding struts at the opposite end of beam 10. Since the beam and its supporting struts constitute a pair of coacting toggle systems, the beam being common to both such systems, the effect would be to apply lateral pressure upon the bearing or pressure plate assemblies (there being one such assembly at each end of the beam) and lateral pressure upon the beam itself. End stops 14 (one at each end of beam 10) would prevent slip fittings 12 (one at each end of the beam) from moving inwardly toward each other under the force thus exerted by the toggle action on the beam, and walls 40 (there being one at each end of the beam) would serve as stop members opposing the force exerted by said toggle action on the bearing or pressure plate as- 4 semblies (on both walls), thereby strengthening the bond between said assemblies and said walls.

The result of the foregoing is that the greater the load on beam 10 the stronger will be its connection with walls 40, and this connection would not depend on the shear strength of fasteners 43. As has above been noted, provision is made for pre-loading or prestressing the beamand this is important in cases where the beam is made of light weight material such as aluminum. Ordinarily a heavy steel beam would provide suflicient pre-loading or self-loading to achieve the desired result without external means. I

Where pre-loading is desired or required, this could be achieved by various means such as simply placing heavy weights on the beam. This, however, does not make for fine adjustments and is somewhat haphazard in efiect. A preferred method of pre-loading would make use of screw means 26, best shown in FIG. 2. The head of said screw or bolt 26 is confined within a bracket 28 which is welded or otherwise secured to the vertical component 13 of slip fitting 12. The lower end of said screw or bolt 26 projects through a hole 32 in bottom wall 24b of the bearing assembly 24. A nut 30 engages said screw or bolt and bears against said bottom wall 24b. The effect of this action is to draw the slip fitting downwardly toward the bearing assembly, thereby causing the toggle action to take place as above described. It will be observed from the foregoing that all of the action takes place between the horizontal beam and side walls 40 of the room in which the beam is installed, there being no connection whatsoever between said beam and ceiling 50 of said room.

The foregoing construction is suitable where it is desired to support the horizontal beams adjacent the ceiling and where it is unimportant that struts 16 and the other elements above described are disposed below said beams. Where, however, it is desired toinstall a false ceiling 52 or like structure immediately below the horizontal beams, it is necessary to install the supporting structure for such beams above the beams, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Attached to the upper flange of beam 10, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, is a modified slip fitting 36, and there is also a modified bracket or retainer element 38. In the place of the downwardly extending vertical component 13 of slip fitting 12, there is an upwardly extending vertical component 36a on slip fitting 36. Bracket 38 is welded or otherwise secured to the top flange of beam 10. Struts 16 are pivotally attached at their upper ends to the upper end of vertical component 3611 by means of bolt or rivet 18, and they are pivotally attached at their lower ends to side Walls 34 of bearing or pressure plate assembly 24 by means of bolt or rivet 20.

Bolt 26 is situated as shown in FIG. 4 with its head bearing against the upper flange of horizontal beam 10 and being retained thereon by bracket 38. The upper threaded end of said bolt projects through hole '32 in the bottom plate 24b of said bearing assembly, and nut 30 bears against said bottom plate. The action of this bolt is to push the beam downwardly away from the bearing assembly, thereby causing struts 16 to swing in clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3. The effect of this swinging movement is to narrow the acute angle between said struts and said beam. Once again a toggle action is set up which develops a lateral force directed through the hearing or pressure plate assembly 24 to wall 40.

Referring now to the third form of this invention and to FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawing, a typical installation is shown wherein the supporting members herein claimed support a framework for light-diffusing panels and electric light fixtures adapted to cooperate therewith. This of course is purely illustrative of the various structures which the claimed supporting frame is adapted to carry. In no sense is it intended to impress any limitations upon the usefulness or scope of this invention.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show 'a horizontal beam which extends between walls 48 of a room enclosure, said beam corresponding to beam 10- previously mentioned and differing only in that it consists of a pair of component beams 10a which are joined by connecting channel members 92 attached to said component beams by means of bolts 94 and nuts 96. These connecting members 92 are intended to illustrate conventional means for adjustably connecting standard beams and varying their combined length in accordance with the needs of individual installations. For the purposes of this specifications it will be understood that component beams -10a and their connecting members 92 combine to constitute a single longitudinally adjustable beam.

Secured to the bottom flange of each beam component 10a is an inverted U-shaped bracket 52, which receives between its legs the upper end of diagonal strut 54, the lower end of said strut being received between the side walls of bearing or pressure plate 56. This bearing or pressure plate is secured to room wall 48 by any conventional means and particularly by the driven fastener members which are preferred herein. A bolt 58 with its nut 60 pivotally attaches the lower end of diagonal strut 54 to the two side walls of the bearing plate. A like bolt 62 pivotally secures the upper end of diagonal strut 54 to the U-shaped bracket 52 and more particularly to its side walls or legs.

The foregoing constitutes a dual toggle system as above described in connection with the first two forms of the invention, the main beam and each end strut constituting a toggle system wherein the main beam is the common element between the two toggle systems. As above indicated, a load placed on the main beam and exerting a downward force operates through the two toggle systems to exert a lateral or horizontal force upon the side walls 48 of the room.

Pre-loading or pre-stressing of the main beam is also provided in the present form of the invention. The preloading device in this embodiment takes the form of a screw 82 which has a swivel type of head 80, a cross-pin 84 by which the screw may be turned, and a nut 88. A bracket 86 is secured to the lower flange of each beam component 10a adjacent the lower end of the corresponding strut 84. The screw extends through said bracket 86, and the bracket is engaged by nut 88. The swivel head 80 of said screw engages strut 54 for a purpose which has heretofore not been disclosed. A U-shaped bracket 100 straddles strut 54 and is pivotally connected thereto by means of pin 10 a. In the operation of this preloading device, screw 82 is turned by means of cross-pin 84 in order to draw the main beam and the strut toward each other. Thus, strut 54 on the left side of FIG. 5 will be caused to swing in clockwise direction about pivot 62, while strut 54 on the right side of FIG. 5 will be caused to swing in counter-clockwise direction about its pivot 62. Swivel head 80 is used to relieve the toggle action which results from the foregoing and in such case the screw 82 will be rotated in the opposite direction to move the main beam and its struts apart. It will of course be understood that to efiect this result nut 88 would be firmly attached to bracket 86.

The other elements shown in FIG. 5 merely illustrate the various structures and appurtenances which may be carried on the beam structure therein disclosed. Thus, a plurality of cross-beams 64 may be mounted atop the main beams 10. Slidable brackets 76 may be mounted on cross-beams 64 to selected locations thereon. Hangers 74 may be attached to brackets 76 to support channels 90, and these channels may carry lighting fixtures or elements 91. Slidable brackets 72 may be attached to channels '90 at selected locations, and these brackets may support hangers 66. These hangers may in turn carry hanger straps 68 supporting frame members and 78. The frame members would support corrugated translucent plastic sheets 98, which serve as light diffusing elements. Frames 70 and 78 and plastic sheets 98 constitute one form of false ceiling.

The foregoing is illustrative of preferred forms of this invention and it will be understood that these forms may be modified and other forms may be provided within the basic principles of the invention and the broad scope of the claim.

1 claim:

A supporting frame adapted to support a false ceiling or other horizontal structure on spaced vertical supports such as the side walls on opposite sides of a room, comprising at least one horizontally disposed beam, a pair of slip fittings mounted on said beam and having stop members abutting the ends of the beam, a pair of diagonally disposed struts situated adjacent said ends of said beam, and a pair of bearing plates disposed in vertical planes and adapted to be held flat against said vertical supports, said structs being pivotally connected at their upper ends to said slip fittings and at their lower ends to said bearing plates, pre-loading means being provided between each of said struts and said beam to cause pivotal movement of the struts toward the beam, thereby effecting a toggle action between the beam and the bearing plates, said pre-loading means applying vertical forces directed upwardly upon the struts and said toggle action transmitting said vertical forces in the form of horizontal forces directed by the bearing plates against said vertical supports and adapted to hold them securely against said vertical supports.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,233,743 Arndt July 17, 1917 2,510,593 Mechling June 6, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,001,318 France Oct. 24, 1951 

